Pit discharging apparatus for automatic bowling alleys



Feb. 8, 1944. J. PARRA ETAL PIT DISCHARGING APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATIC BOWLING ALLEYS 5 Sheets- Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 5, 1942 INVENTORY GEM 1% Ezra XIZZZZz' mmite,

Feb. 8, 1944. J P R A g- 2,341,476

PIT DISCHARGING APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATIC BOWLING ALLEYS Filed Sept. 5, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 8, 1944-. J PARRA ETAL PIT DISCHARGII\G APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATIC BOWLING ALLEYS Filed Sept. 5, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VENTORS Patented Feb. 8, 1944 FIT DISCHARGING APPARATUS FOR AUTO- MATIC BOWLING ALLEYS Joseph Farm and William White, Newark, N. .1. Application September 5, 1942, Serial No. 457,386 '7 Claims. (01. 273-43) This invention relates to improvements in automatic bowling alleys, and has reference, more particularly, to novel means for gathering pins and balls from an alley pit and thereupon delivering the balls to a ball return runway and the pins to distributing means oi pin setting apparatus, such, for example, as a pin setting apparatus of the kind disclosed in our co-pending application for United States Letters Patent Serial No. 451,704, filed on or about July 21, 1942', or of other desired kind.

- This invention has for an object to provide a novel means for gathering pins and balls discharged into a bowling alley pit during play and delivering the same successively to a pit discharging conveyer or elevator by which the same are carried respectively to pin setting apparatus and to a ball return runway.

The invention has for another object to provide, within a. bowling alley pit, a novel means to gather pins thrown thereinto, including a conveyer for receiving such pins and moving the same in succession to a positioning pocket disposed in the path of the pit discharging conveyer or elevator.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for ejecting-pins from the pit discharging conveyer or elevator and thereby delivering the same to the distributing means of a pin setting apparatus.

Other objects of this invention, not at this .time more particularly enumerated, will be understood from the following detailed description of the same.

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view, with parts in elevation, of the bowling alley pit discharging apparatus according to this invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same in part section, the back-stop bumper being omitted; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section, taken on line t--3 in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section, taken on line -'i& in Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the mode of operation of the pin ejecting means which cooperates with the pit discharging conveyer or elevator.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the hereinabove described views, to indicate corresponding parts,

In the drawings the reference character it indicates the rear nd portion or pin stand section of a bowling alley, which terminates at a pit H to receive the pins and balls discharged from the alley during play.

At the back of the pit I I rises a suitably formed column H, which serves to support a pit discharging conveye or elevator means by which 'pins and balls are carried out of the pit and respectively delivered to pin setting apparatus and to a ball return runway. In an illustrative form thereof as shown, said pit discharging conveyer or elevator means comprises a pair of laterally spaced endless conveyer chains IS, the lower ends of which are engaged by driven sprockets ll aflixed to a driven shaft IS, the latter being joumaled in connection with the lower end portlon of said column l2. Th upper ends of said conveyer chains l3 run over idler sprockets l6 supported by a shaft II! which is journaled in connection with the upper end portion of said column l2.

The conveyer chains i3 are continuously driven in such direction that the rising courses thereof face the interior of the pit H and forwardly toward the terminal end of the bowling alley l0. dmxed to and across saidconveyer chains ii are pin and ball carrier forks it, each including a pair of forwardly and somewhat upwardly inclined fork arms l9. Said fork arms W are spaced apart a distance somewhat less than the maximum diameter of the body of a bowling pin P, so that, when a pin is engaged thereby, it will be suspended bottom up by and between said fork arms.

The driven shaft 115, by which the pit discharging conveyer or elevator means is actuated, is itself driven from any suitable source of power suitably transmitted thereto, as e. g. by an electric motor M and chain and sprocket power transmission 20 driven thereby, and so as to actuate said conveyer or elevator means at a suitably selected constant speed.

Mounted within the pin II, to extend centrally and rearwardly therethrough from the terminal end of the alley Hi, is a pin and ball gathering conveyer means. This gathering conveyer means comprises a pair of parallel, laterally spaced endless belts H, the same being spaced apart at a distance somewhat less than the maximum diameter of the body of a bowling pin P, so that, when a pin is engaged thereby, it will be suspended bottom up by and between the rearwardly moving upper courses of said belts 2i Said belts are mounted to run over forward pulleys 22, upper rearward pulleys 23 and lower rearward pulleys 24. The belts 2| are preferably of V-shape in cross-section, so as to fit correspondingly V-shaped peripheries of said pulleys, thus assuring strong frictional driving relation of the latter to the former. Preferably said belts are made of rubber, leather or like material calculated to avoid abrasion or scarring of the pins, when the latter are engaged and carried thereby. Said forward pulleys 22 are mounted on a shaft 25 journaled in and between upstanding forward bearing arms 26 of conveyer supporting frame members 21 which are supported upon the fioor of the pin The lower rearward pulleys 24 are similarly mounted on a shaft 28 journaled in and between upstanding rearward bearing arms 29 of said frame members 21. The upper rearward pulleys 23 are respectively mounted on independent shafts 30, which are respectively journaled in bearing standards 3| upstanding from the pit floor, thus providing free space between said upper rearward pulleys and shafts, and the terminal end portions of the conveyer belts 2|, through which pins P carried by a between said belts may pass for discharge therefrom. It will be obvious that the pulleys and shafts of the pin and ball gathering conveyer means may be mounted in any other suitable manner or by any other suitable arrangement for supporting the same which is calculated to relate the belts 2| in the manner described.

Said pin and ball gathering conveyer means is continuously driven at a suitably selected constant speed, and, in one illustrative arrangement for so driving the same (as shown), the shaft 28 constitutes a conveyer drive shaft on which is fixed a drive sprocket 32. Said sprocket 82 is driven by a chain 33 from a sprocket 34 fixed on a counter-shaft 35 journaled in a bearing bracket 36 which extends from one of the frame members 21. Fixed on said counter-shaft 35 is another sprocket 31 which is driven by a chain 38 from a sprocket 39 fixed on the driven shaft l of the pit discharging conveyer or elevator means. Such arrangement utilizes the motor M as a power source for driving the pin and ball gathering conveyer means, and constitutes a speed reduction transmission, whereby the latter is driven at a desired speed relative to that of said pit discharging conveyer or elevator means.

- Extending from the respective side walls 40 of the pit respectively toward the respective sides of the upper pin and ball carrying courses of the belts 2|, are downwardly inclined oscillatable pin and ball receiving platforms 4|. The outer sides of said platforms 4| are pivotally connected with said pit side walls 40 by hinges 42. The free inner sides of said platforms 4| lie contiguous to the upper carrying courses of the belts 2|, and are supported in such relation by stop ledges 43 which are fixedly mounted to extend between the terminal end wall 44 of the alley l0 and a transverse partition member 45 amxed between the pit side walls 4|! contiguous to the rearward ends of said platforms 4|.

Means are provided to vibrate or oscillate said platforms 4 l, whereby to assure movement of pins P, thrown thereonto, toward and so as to be deposited upon the carrying courses of said belts 2|. An illustrative means for this purpose (as shown) comprises star-cam wheels 48 fixed on the shaft 25 and on the shaft 30 so as to be revolved thereby. These star-cam wheels, when revolved, strike the under sides of the platforms 4|, adjacent to the free sides thereof, so asto swing said platforms 4| up and down, thus vibrating or oscillating the same so as to keep pins 1? lodged thereon in motion toward the conveyer belts 2|,

thereby preventing any pins from lying dormant on said platforms.

Suspended between the pit side walls 40, and above the rearward end portions of said platforms 4|, is a ball and pin back-stop bufler cushion 41. The lower free end of said cushion, at a point ="aligned above the conveyer belts 2| is preferably indented to provide an arched passage 48, adapted to clear pins and balls moved rearward past the same by said conveyer belts. In like manner, the partition member 45 is also provided with a similar arched opening 49 for pin and ball clearance.

Suitably afiixed to extend between said column l2 and the discharge end of said pin and ball gathering conveyer is a pin and ball receiving pocket 50, the same being of substantially semicircular trough shape in cross-section, with its bottom somewhat downwardly and rearwardly in- ,clined. This receiving pocket 50 receives the pins and balls discharged from the pin and ball gathering conveyer, and positions the same in the path of the carrier forks l8 as upwardly moved by the pit discharging conveyer-or elevator. Said pocket 50 is provided with cutaway-portions 5| to provide passageways through which the carrier forks l8 and elevator chains i3 may enter and move upwardly therethrough.

Means are provided, cooperative with the discharge ends of the pin and ball gathering conveyer, whereby pins P suspended on the latter and about to be discharged therefrom, are tilted to fall into the pocket 50 bottom end first. This means comprises a check member or stop 52 which is supported (preferably from a bridge plate 53 extending between the frame members 21) to extend upwardly between the conveyer belts 2| adjacent to their discharge ends. Preferably said check member or stop 52 is provided. at its free end, with an anti-friction roller 54. As a pin P carried rearward by the conveyer belts 2| approaches the discharge ends of the latter, the suspended head of said pin P is engaged by the roller 54 of said check member or stop 52 so that its movement is arrested while the body of said pin is carried on. As a consequence of this, the pin P is up-tilted bottom end first (see Fig. 1), whereby as the support of the belts 2| is removed from the pin, its bottom end will overbalance its head end, and thus the pin will fall bottom end first into the receiving pocket 50, and in such position will move in the latter so as to lie in the path of and ready to be engaged and carried upward by an approaching carrier fork l8 of the pit discharging conveyer or elevator.

It will be obvious that a ball B upon dropping into the pit II will roll down a platform 4| onto the conveyer belts 2|, and will be carried rearward by the latter until discharged into th reeeiving pocket 50, by which it will be positioned in the path of an approaching carrier fork ll of the pit discharging conveyer or elevator. when engaged by such carrier fork IS the ball B will be carried upwardly thereby until engaged by a pair of laterally spaced shunting cam members 55 which are fixed upon and project forwardly from the column l2 in the path of its upward movement as thus carried. When engaged by said shunting cam members 55, the ball B will be pushed on of the carrier fork i8 by which it is supported and into the receiving end 55 of a ball return runway 51 (see Fig. 1), along which it will roll back to the playing end of the bowling alley. Said shunting cam members 55 are so spaced that carrier forks l8 and pins P supported and carried thereby will ireely pass therebetween, although the spacing is such that the wider ball B will be properly and operatively engaged thereby for the purposes stated.

Positioned adjacent to the upper end of the pit discharging conveyer or elevator is the pin receiving end of a chute or way 58 with which the upwardly carried pins P are discharged for delivery thereby to means for distributing and delivering the same to a pin spotting apparatus (not shown). A novel means for ejecting a pin P for a carrier fork and tumbling the same bottom end first into said chute or way 58 is provided. This ejecting means comprises an ejector lever 59 pivotally aflixed to the column it between the chains l3 of the pit discharging conveyer or elevator, so as to lie in the path of pin supporting carrier forks It. In its initial downswung position, the free end portion of said ejector lever 59 projects beyond the planes of the closed inner ends of said carrier forks l8, and may, if necessary, be supported in such position by abutment upon a limiting stop 60 afllxed to the column l2 for arresting its down-swinging movement. As a pin supporting carrier fork l8 rises, its closed inner end passes behind and engages the back of said ejector lever 59; the free end of the latter being thereby disposed behind the pin P carried by said carrier fork. As the carrier fork continues to rise, it swings upward the ejecting lever 59, whereby the free end of the latter engages the carried pin P, and as such rip-swinging movement continues, said pin is pushed outwardly along the fork arms l9 until it finally tumbles bottom end first into the chute or way 58 (see Fig. l). The thus emptied carrier fork. as it continues upward, continues to swing upward the ejector lever 59 until the closed end of the former clears the free end of the latter, whereupon said ejector lever 59 swings downward under gravity to initial position, ready to be engaged by the next succeeding pin supporting carrier fork for a repetition of the above de'- scribed pin ejecting operations (see Fig,

In the operation of the described pin and ball gathering means, when a ball B has been bowled and has struck standing pins, the ball is delivered by the conveyer belts 25 to the pit discharging conveyer or elevator means, so as to be carried by the latter and discharged into the ball return runway for return to the head of the alley, in the manner already above referred to. The pins P thrown into the pit, either by the bowled ball, or by alley sweeping means (not shown) will lodge on the platforms ii, so as to roll down the latter onto the conveyer belts 2i; such movement of the pins toward the latter being assured by the oscillatory or vibratory movements imparted to said platforms M. When a pin P rolls onto and between the conveyer belts M, the body of the same will be engaged on opposite sides by said belts in such manner that the pin will pivot about such points of engagement, and since relative to such pivoting points of engagement, the head end of the pin overbalances the bottom end thereof, th pin will swing to a vertical bottom up position between the conveyer belts 2i, and so as to be grasped and carried rearwardly by the latter. The pins P will not jam, and pins operatively engaged and suspended by and between the conveyer belts M will fend off pins on the platforms ii, until the passing of the former leaves room for a latter pin to roll onto and be operatively ngaged by said conveyer belts. It will thus be apparent that the pins will be progressively gathered up by the conveyer belts 2| and then successively moved one after another for discharge into the 5 receiving pocket 50, to be thence successively picked up and carried upwardly out of the pit by the-carrier forks ill of the pit discharging conveyer or elevator, and by the latter taken to and discharged into the chute or way 58 for return to pin spotting apparatus.

.We are aware that various changes could be made in the construction and arrangement oi the mechanisms and partsabove described without departing from the spirit and scope of our is therefore intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

We claim: 1. In a bowling alley automatic ball and pin handling system having a continuously driven elevator to carry balls and pins out of the alley pit for delivery respectively to a ball return runway and to pin setting means, means in combination with the alley pit to gather balls and pins thrown thereinto and deliver the same, one at a time, to said elevator, comprising a continuously driven conveyer extending centrally through the pit betwen the alley and and said elevator, said conveyer being formed by parallel endless belts laterally spaced for a distance somewhat less than the maximum diameter of a pin body, whereby to support balls and to receive and a suspend pins bottom end up therebetween, platforms inclining from-the pit sides toward opposite sides of the conveyer, respectively contiguous to the respective courses of said conveyer belts,

down which pins roll to lodge between the lato ter, and a receiving means into which balls and pins are successively discharged by said conveyer, said receiving means being shaped to position the received balls and pins in the path of the carrying devices of theelevator.

2. In a bowling alley automatic ball and pin handling system having a continuously driven elevator to carry balls and pins out of the alley pit for delivery respectively to a ball return runway and to pin setting means, means in combination with the alley pit to gather balls and pins thrown thereinto and deliver the same, one at a time, to said elevator, comprising a continuously driven conveyer extending centrally through the pit between the alley end and said elevator, said conveyer being formed by parallel endless ,belts laterally spaced for a distance somewhat less than the maximum diameter of a pin body, whereby to support balls and to receive and suspend pins bottom end up therebetween, vibrative platforms inclining from the pit sides toward opposite sides of the conveyer, respectively contiguous to the respective courses of said conveyer belts, down which pins roll to lodge between the latter, means to vibrate said platforms whereby to keep the pins in motion toward said conveyer, and a. receiving ineans into which balls and pins are successively discharged by said conveyer, said receiving means being shaped to position the received balls and pins in the path of the carrying devices of the elevator.

3. In a bowling alley automatic ball and pin handlin system having a continuously driven elevator to carry balls and pins out of the alley pit for delivery respectively to a ball return runway and to pin setting means, means in com invention as defined by the following claims. It

9 bination with the alley pit to gather balls and pins thrown thereinto and deliver the same, one at a time, to said elevator, comprising a continuously driven conveyer extending centrally through the pit between the alley end and said elevator, said conveyer being formed by parallel endless belts laterally spaced for a distance somewhat less than the maximum diameter of a pin body, whereby to support balls and to receive and suspend pins bottom end up therebetween, platforms pivotally connected with the pit sides and inclining therefrom toward opposite sides of the conveyer, the free ends of said platform being respectively contiguous to the respective courses of said conveyer belts, rotated star cam wheels beneath and cooperative with the free end portions of said platforms for oscillating the latter to keep pins thereon in motion toward the conveyer, and a receiving means into which balls and pins are successively discharged by said conveyer, said receiving means being shaped to posi-- tion the received balls and pins in the path of the carrying devices of the elevator.

4. In a bowling alley automatic ball and pin handling system having, a continuously driven elevator to carry balls and pins out of the alley pit for delivery respectively to a ball return runway and to pin setting means, means in combination with the alley pit to gather balls and pins thrown thereinto and deliver the same, one at a time, to said elevator, comprising a continuously driven conveyer extending centrally through the pit between the alley end and said elevator, said conveyer being formed by parallel endless belts laterally spaced for a distance somewhat less than the maximum diameter pf a pin body, whereby to support balls and to receive and suspend pins bottom end up therebetween, platforms inclining from the pit sides toward opposite sides of the conveyer, respectively contiguous to the respective courses of said conveyer belts, down which pins roll to lodge between the latter, a back-stop means suspended transversely across the pit adjacently above the discharge end portion of said conveyer, said back-stop means having a clearance way in its bottom portion aligned with said conveyer, whereby to pass balls and pins conveyed by the latter, and a receiving means into which balls and pins are successively discharged by said conveyer, said receiving means being shaped to position the received balls andpins in the path of the carrying devices otthh elevator.

5. In a bowling alley automatic ball and pin handling system having a continuously driven elevator to carry balls and pins out of the alley pit for delivery respectively to a ball return runway and to pin setting means, means in combination with the alley pit to gather balls and pins thrown thereinto and deliver the same, one at a time, to said elevator, comprising a continuously driven conveyer extending centrally through the pit between the alley end and said elevator, said conveyer being formed by parallel endless belts laterally spaced for a distance somewhat less than the maximum diameter of a pin body, whereby to support balls and to receive and suspend pins bottom end up therebetween, platforms inclining from the pit sides toward opposite sides oi! the conveyer, respectively contiguous to the respective courses or said conveyer belts, down which pins roll to lodge between the latter, a back-stop means suspended transversely across the pit adjacently above the discharge end portion of said conveyer, said back-stop means having a clearance way in its bottom portion aligned with said conveyer, whereby to pass balls and pins conveyed by the latter, a receiving means into which balls and pins are successively discharged by said conveyer, said receiving means being shaped to position the received balls and pins in the path of the carrying devices of the elevator, and a check means intermediate the discharge ends of said conveyer belts adapted to engage and tilt a pin carried by the latter for discharge bottom first into said receiving means.

6. In mechanism of the kind described as defined in claim 1 including a check means intermediate the discharge ends of said conveyer belts adapted to engage and tilt a pin carried by the latter for discharge bottom end first into the receiving means.

7. In mechanism of the kind described as defined in claim 2 including a check means intermediate the discharge ends of said conveyer belts adapted to engage and tilt a pin carried by the latter for discharge bottom end first into the receiving means.

JOSEPH PARRA. WILLIAM WHITE. 

